A source said presidential envoy to the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak will soon hold consultations on the issue with local legislators and representatives of political parties and public organizations.
In a maneuver designed to secure a presidential endorsement for a second term, another governor, Valentina Matviyenko of St. Petersburg, near the end of her first term last December, submitted her resignation to President Vladimir Putin and also asked for a vote of confidence.
A Putin-sponsored 2004 law canceled gubernatorial elections and gave the president the right to nominate candidates.
Rights groups in Russia and abroad have criticized the law as undemocratic.
Some regional leaders turn to the Russian president even before the end of their terms, asking him to recommend them to local parliaments in line with the new scheme, which is what apparently happened in this case.
Tkachev was elected governor of the Krasnodar Territory on December 3, 2000 and was re-elected March 14, 2004.
The governor is widely known as the man behind the failed seizure of the island of Tuzla in the Kerch Strait (the governor had a dam constructed from the Russian shore to the disputed Ukrainian island).
Tkachev is also known for his strong stand against illegal immigration in Russia, with some commentators interpreting his remarks as racist.
Some have speculated that Tkachev could become Putin's successor.
